Canvasser of Dreamscapes: Three poems by Jyotish Chalil Gopinathan
Poetry by Jyotish Chalil Gopinathan: ‘Pressing my ear to the ground / straining to hear / the universe speak. / The faintest tremor / of the butterfly wing’
‘Grief has a dress code’: Two poems by Anushka Chavan
Poetry by Anushka Chavan: ‘Will you drag me onto the shore, or should I become the tide? / Will you bring me home, to the river, / Or will I be lost in the hills once more?’
Unpackings: Three Poems by Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan
Poetry by Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan: ‘somewhere, / in the quiet / of this new world, / a new rhythm / begins to hum.’
What You Can’t Conceal Will Tell Itself
Poem by Manasha Sharma: ‘stumbling and mumbling it shows itself / in a half unscathed smile / in ragged dirty clothes, / my love homes itself before it gathers space.’
The Gods are Only Human: Four Poems by Sreeja Naskar
Poetry by Sreeja Naskar: ‘i am learning how to measure loss in rings. / each year, the body thickens. / each year, the body splits. / no one asks why the tree bends — / they only marvel at the curve.’
Between Lovers and Ghosts: Three Poems by Goirick Brahmachari
Poetry by Goirick Brahmachari: ‘Your absence floats in / Within my house of shadows, / And stale miseries, / Broken windows; breezing in / Lost islands of fog and snow.’
Home and Exile: Two Poems by Ajanta Paul
Poetry by Ajanta Paul: ‘If Bangla is the resonance / of raindrops on the soul / English is the petrichor / of poetry that emanates from / the rain-moistened earth / of my being.’
Poetry as Ritual Magic: Rajorshi Patranabis’s GOSSIPS OF OUR SURROGATE STORY
Poetry is a prayerful medium to explore complex, living concepts. Just as fruit falls from the bough to decay within earth and feed the tree, Rajorshi Patranabis’s presents the ritual of cyclical love and devotion in his new collection. By Dustin Pickering
Where do we find a story? An interview with Snehaprava Das
Poet, author, and translator Snehaprava Das speaks to Mitra Samal about her storytelling process, how translation can enhance creativity, the authors that have inspired her, and more.
‘A silhouette of things’: Two poems by K.S. Subramanian
Poetry by K.S. Subramanian: ‘In a year its ambience malodorous / Inch of space making way to concrete. / Green unseated by thick red brick’
TEN INDIAN CLASSICS: Selections from ‘Selected Ghazals and Other Poems’ by Mir Taqi Mir
Extract from the work of Mir Taqi Mir: Mir’s poetry abounds in bawdiness, the pain and enjoyment of life, instances of homosexuality, Sufi themes, close and wise observation of the world, and insistence on man’s dignity. Translated by: Shamsur Rahman Faruqi
‘Moisture Appends the Subtext’: Three Poems by Tabish Nawaz
Poetry by Tabish Nawaz: ‘I breath to fluidize the gravels / but they fall back / like the debris in a city / bombed for months.’